Connecting with a friend when you feel isolated as a caregiver can lift your mood. But as a long-distance caregiver, I have moved back in with my parents and visited my home, husband, and fur snuggle buddies 720 miles away; I have lost touch with the friends I grew up with. They’ve moved out of my hometown. I do connect with my cousin, who was a childhood friend, and that is a plus. It takes my mind off the stressful situations I find myself in as I care for my elderly parents. As a plus, she works with Medicare and has provided invaluable help and insight in addition to finding the best coverage.

My time and energy are devoted to my parents, and my cousin is only available to talk to some of the time. I have journaled for four years as I care for Mom and Dad. I have video-logged my day, written about it, reached out to other caregivers during my free time, and finally found a chat to vent and communicate. Finding that chat and the hosting website took a year and a half. I posted my musings there, and it was a welcome release. No one commented on my post; it was just a good feeling to get it out there.

A few of us became regulars; we bonded and developed a long-lasting friendship in that chat. That chat has since folded and is no longer available, so we created our caregiving chatroom for caregivers called chatforcaregivers.com. Join us daily for one of our chat sessions. The chat sessions are safe and secure. We clear each chat session for your and our own privacy. 

OPEN DAILY

6 a.m.–7 a.m. PST / 9 a.m.–10 a.m. EST

7 p.m.–9 p.m. PST / 9 p.m.–10 p.m. PST

Join us if you are up late at night in a different part of the world. Many have. Come when you can, no need to stay for the entire hour. Pop in and say hey!